Make a Wish
by misty23y
Summary: It's Stephanie's birthday and she only has one wish. One-shot in honor of our favorite heroine, Stephanie Plum. A little angst, a little humor, and a little fluff.


**Disclaimer: Everything familiar belongs to Ms. Evanovich. I'm just playing.**

**Warning: Adult situations**

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**Make a Wish**

Today is my birthday. Today I am 35 years old. When I was a little girl, I thought that I'd be something wonderful when I grew up. I thought I'd have an awesome career, live in a fabulous home, have a wonderful husband, and a couple of kids. My life couldn't be further from that fantasy.

You see, my name is Stephanie Plum, and I'm a Bond Apprehension Agent, better known as a bounty hunter. I work for my sleazy cousin Vinny, getting those perps who are trying to avoid going back to jail. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. When I say it's a dirty job, I mean literally. I have been covered in all sorts of undesirable substances, from Vaseline, flour, eggs, garbage, mud, dog poop, well, you get the idea. I have worked in the past for my mentor, my best friend, and my occasional lover Ranger, whose real name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso. He is a bad-ass mercenary, owner of the elite Rangeman Security firm, and former Army Ranger, as his street name implies. He never gets covered in anything undesirable. He seems to have a force field around him that keeps the crude off him.

Up until fourteen months ago, I had a tumultuous relationship with Trenton detective Joseph Morelli. Joe is from the Burg, as is I, and he is the person who took my innocence in his garage at the age of six, and my virginity at sixteen. I try not to think about those incidents. He is also my first skip, which I got after locking him in the back of a freezer truck. I also happened to help prove his innocence. After that, we settled into a relationship that mostly revolved around sex and complacency. We were easy together, we like the same things, and by dating each other, we kept our mothers off our backs. However, I realized last summer that we didn't actually love each other, we loved the idea of each other. We finally sat down one night and had an adult conversation, without all the arm gestures and yelling. We decided to officially end our physical relationship. We have since become friends, but that relationship is ending since Joe transferred to New York City to try to start over.

A month after Joe and I called it quits, Ranger asked me out on a date. This was a real date, where he took me to a wonderful restaurant, then we went dancing. That was the first of our twice-weekly dates. While we didn't officially announce that we were an item, we were pursuing a more intimate relationship. It was on October first of last year, though, that those pursuits came to an end. Ranger, who is still contracted to run black op missions with the government, was called to serve. He wasn't able to tell me where he was going or what he was doing, but he did tell me that this would be a long mission and his last. He didn't want to go, but by accepting this mission, he was able to sever his ties with the government three years earlier. We spent three days at his family's beach house in Point Pleasant before he shipped out. On my birthday, he had his cousin and co-owner of Rangeman, Lester Santos, take me out. He also gave me a gift from Carlos, a Pandora bracelet filled with charms. Apparently, Ranger started buying me charms and building my bracelet three months after we met.

I absolutely love and adore the bracelet and only wear it when I know it won't be at risk of getting damaged or lost. Six months ago, I decided to work on becoming a better bounty hunter. I asked Lester to help me train. He said that he wasn't able to help me since he was running Rangeman in Ranger and Tank, Ranger's right hand, were on the mission, but he was sure the other guys would love to assist me. So, I visited Bobby, who set me up with a training schedule. Now, I no longer get winded climbing up five flights of stairs, I can outrun most of my skips, and I actually know how to use my gun, and carry it, loaded with bullets, when I'm working.

Still, there are days like today that I feel like an utter failure. Even though today is Saturday, I still had to work. Sometimes, it's easier to find a skip on the weekend. Roger Wilinski was wanted for the destruction of property. He was in a local restaurant and got angry when his favorite dish was no longer on the menu. So angry that he threw whatever food he could get in his hands all over the place, destroy the computers by pouring soda on hard drives and pounding powder in the sockets. While he wasn't a particularly violent criminal, he was tricky.

So, this morning, I got up at eight, ate some stale crackers for breakfast, then got dressed. I arrived outside Roger's home at nine. Unfortunately, he was making pancakes for breakfast. When I followed him to his kitchen so he could shut off the stove and put away the food, he started to throw eggs, pancake mix, pancake batter, milk, and strawberries at me. I somehow managed to cuff him after I stunned him, then dragged him to my car. However, the damage had been done, and I was covered in food.

Thankfully, I didn't hear any jokes from the TPD guys, but when I stepped outside, I had to deal with a smirking Hector. Hector is one of Ranger's employees, a former gang-member turned computer whiz. He never gets dirty, as he just looks at a skip, and they practically cuff themselves. He has two teardrop tattoos under his eye, signifying that he killed. "I interrupted his breakfast, but I got him in."

"I know you always get your man," Hector said. He speaks perfect English, but most don't know that. It's our little secret. "Happy Birthday, Bomber."

"Thank you. You are the first person who wished me a happy birthday."

He embraced me in a hug, then said, "Let's go get some donuts to celebrate."

He sent me home my POS Honda Accord, then drove his Rangeman SUV to the Tasty Pastry, where he purchased six Boston Cremes. What, a girl's got to live a little. Hector met me at my apartment. By the time he arrived, I had showered and changed into a pair of yoga pants and one of Ranger's t-shirt. Hector ate two donuts, while I devoured the other four.

"You know the boss man is going to be okay. He'll be back soon."

"I hope you're right. I don't know how much longer I can hold my mother off. She's threatening to start setting me up with eligible Burg bachelors again. I don't think I can deal with that."

Hector visibly shuddered at that thought. "Why is your mother so hung up on the Burg? Morelli was the only half-way decent looking guy, and now he's in New York."

"I don't know. I think it's more the image. Mom knows that if I settle with a Burg man, I'll be forced to become a housewife and mother, though I'm not too sure I have much time left for the latter. I mean, I am thirty-five today. She wants me to settle down, which I understand, but she doesn't understand that I could never be a housewife. God, I miss Ranger."

I allow myself to break, letting the tears flow that I've kept bottled up for the last three months. Hector wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders while soothing my tears. After about half an hour, I had stopped crying. "I'm sorry, Hector. I didn't mean to cry all over your shirt."

"No worries. I understand. It's not easy when the love of your life is forced away from you, always worrying about him, wondering if and when he's coming home. Fearing that he'll be coming home in a pine box, especially as the mission drags on and on."

"Who?" I ask, curious as to which Rangeman Hector snagged.

"Woody."

"How long?"

"Three years. The last mission was the hardest on me. My brother died two weeks after he left, and I kept picturing him in my brother's coffin. I'm relieved that his contract is finished. I don't know if I could handle another op."

Hector's cell phone chirped at that moment. He reached down and checked the display.

"It seems that I'm needed back at the office. If you have nothing to do, call me later, I'll take you out for your birthday."

"It's okay, I'm going by my parents' for dinner and cake. I'll just be making the same wish tonight as I made last year."

"If you need me, call me. No matter what time, okay?"

"Okay, Hector. Thank you."

Hector left my apartment. I locked up behind him, then sat on the couch, with Ghostbusters in the DVD player. I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I woke, it was to a blue screen. I check the clock, seeing that it was already four-thirty. I jumped up from the couch and quickly made my way into the bathroom. I washed my face, fixed my hair, brushed my teeth, and applied my makeup before rushing in my room to get dressed. I decided to wear a lilac and yellow wrap dress with three-quarter sleeves to my parents' house. I put on a pair of lavender kitten heels, along with my Pandora bracelet and a simple flower necklace. The time was now five-twenty, and I needed to run to get to the house on time.

Fortunately, I made every light and arrived with eight minutes to spare. Being the birthday person didn't exempt you from being blamed for drying out the pot roast and ruining dinner by being late. I saw that my saint of a sister Valerie was already here with her husband, Albert, and their daughters Angie, Mary Lou, Lisa, and Veronica. Grandma Mazur greeted me at the door, informing me that Mom had invited a potential suitor to dinner. If it weren't for the fact that my refrigerator and freezer were currently bare, I would have bolted. Instead, I sighed, entering into the lion's den.

The potential husband was Michael Cardinale, who, all in all, wasn't a bad catch. His only fault was that he was a Burg man, with typical Burg expectations for his wife. When mom brought out the pineapple upside cake for me, I was disappointed to only see three candles on the top. Usually, we have one candle for each year, so I should have thirty-five candles on my cake and one for good luck. Once you reach forty, though, you get one white candle for each decade, followed by pink or blue candles equaling your ones, and a yellow candle for good luck. This year, I have a three and five candle, with the yellow good luck candle. Considering my wish didn't come true this year, maybe changing things up will give me better luck. I close my eyes, making my wish. _Please bring my love, my Ranger, home to me soon. I miss him, and I need him. Make sure he's healthy and whole. Bring back my love._ Once I finish, I blow out my candles in one breathe.

The cake is cut, and I get the first piece. I wait for everyone to be served before I take my first taste. While my mother's cake is always exceptional, today's was the best yet. I stay until nine, when I finally manage to make my escape, only to return home to an empty apartment. I used to have a hamster, Rex, but he died three weeks ago. I contemplated getting another hamster, or even a cat, but I decided I didn't have the time nor money for a pet. Even though Rex wasn't a very interactive pet, he was still a living being that was happy to see me. My apartment didn't feel so lonely when Rex was alive.

I change back into Ranger's t-shirt, with only my panties on underneath. I shut off all the light, lighting my fake candle to look out the window. I often stare at the sky, hoping that Ranger is somewhere, safe, looking at the same stars that I am. I often talk to him, telling him about my day, about my misadventures, and about my life in general. One night, six weeks ago, I felt Ranger's presence. I felt as though he were trying to talk to me. I told him that I didn't want to talk to him in my mind, that I wanted to talk to him in person, to hold him, and to touch him once more. I told him to make sure he came home to me, breathing, and mostly unscathed.

I'm not sure how much time had elapsed, but I dozed off. When I open my eyes, I'm not sure why I'm awake, but then I hear it, the sound of someone trying to pick my locks. I reach under my couch cushion for my gun, aiming at the door. I hold it steady, hoping that some crazy wasn't trying to break in yet again. Just as I'm getting ready to call Rangeman, I get a whiff of my favorite scent, Bulgari. Ranger's home!

I don't lower my weapon, just in case I'm wrong, but I do reengage the safety. When Ranger turns the corner and sees me with my gun aimed at him, he announces his presence.

"Babe, it's me. Put the gun down."

I immediately place the gun on the table before jumping off the couch and running into Ranger's arms. He lifts me, and I instinctually wrap my legs around his body. I start to cry, happy tears, that my love is home. I move my head back to see him properly, and he takes that opportunity to crash his lips down on mine. We duel for control of the kiss. Fire runs through my body. We finally break our kiss as Ranger sits us down on the couch, with me on his lap.

"Babe, I can't begin to tell you how much I missed you. I tried so hard to get back home to you as soon as possible, but it almost didn't happen."

"Are you done? Can they call you back in the field?"

"No, not in the field. They can call me to help train or consult, stateside. I have the right to turn down the offer or to go. For the training, it would require me to go to Fort Benning, twice a year, to evaluate the Ranger's class during their wargames. I'd be gone a week to ten days. Consulting can be at any time, for an unknown time frame, sometimes a little as two days, other times up to a month. Some of the consulting can be done from Trenton. But, I can say no without any repercussions."

"Good. How's Tank?"

"He's fine. He's at Rangeman." We kiss once more as I settle with my head on Ranger's shoulder, aware that he has more to tell me. "Babe, I almost died."

I sat up in his lap, staring at his face. I'm wondering if it was that night that I felt his presence. "When? How long ago?"

"About six weeks ago. We were almost at our extraction point when some of the followers of the person we had to take out found us. They started firing on us, and we returned fire. We managed to get them all, and continued to the rendezvous location. As everyone was getting on the helicopter, as straggler came along. He managed to hit me as I was getting in the helicopter. He hit my leg, nicking my femoral artery. I was losing blood, fast. The team medic somehow managed to staunch the flow, allowing us to arrive at the base twenty minutes later. Tank told me that while I was on the table, I coded. I remember feeling as though I was floating above my body. I remember thinking of you, Babe, and how I was never going to see your beautiful blue eyes, your crazy curls, and your magnificent body again. I remember feeling regret, not knowing if you were okay if you were safe. I had a fleeting thought that there was a possibility of you being pregnant and me never knowing my child, leaving you behind to raise that child on your own. I knew I wanted to say goodbye to you, so you'd know how much I love you. But, instead, I could have sworn that I heard you saying that you didn't want to talk to me in your mind, that you wanted to see me, to talk face to face, in person, with me mostly in one piece. At that moment, I made my decision to come home to return to you. Babe, you saved me, you saved my life."

By the time he finished recounting his story, the tears were flowing once again. I took a deep breath, "Ranger, I remember that evening. I was sitting on the fire escape, looking at the stars. I suddenly felt your presence, like I always do when you're near, but I knew that you weren't physically near me. I missed you so much, my heart ached. In my soul, I knew you were trying to say goodbye, but I didn't want to hear it. I wanted you to come home. When I told Lester what happened the next day, he said I was crazy, that he hadn't heard anything about you, and that if something were wrong, he would have heard, as he is listed as your next of kin."

"He is, but we weren't on an American base. We were on an ally's base. Tank didn't want anyone to know I was injured, because we were afraid someone would come after us. It took me a month to get out of the hospital, as my injury got infected. Once I was cleared, we flew to DC, where we were debriefing for the last two weeks. I just returned home."

"You came here first? You haven't seen anyone else?"

"Yes, Babe, I came to you first. You are the only person I want to see, I need to see. You are my home, Babe. Wherever you are, I am home."

"For the first time since you left, I feel at home. You are my home, too, Ranger."

I shift myself in his lap, so I'm straddling him. I want to worship his body, as he's done to mine so often. I kiss him senselessly, hearing a moan escape his throat. I kiss down his neck to that spot where his neck and shoulder meet that drives him insane and gently nip him. I follow the nip with a light kiss and continue exploring his chest and abs, amazed how he stays in such perfect condition. When I reach the waist of his cargoes, he tries to push me away. I just shake my head no and start untying his boots. I take them both off, followed by his socks. I then return to undo the button of his cargoes and unzip them, releasing his glorious manhood. It's standing at attention, like a good soldier, when I wrap my lips around its head, enjoying it as I would a popsicle. At first, Ranger is tense, not trying to stop my adoration of his best appendage, but quickly, he relents, as another moan escapes his lips. I wrap my hand around him, where my mouth can't reach and massage his sack with my other hand. Together, I work him, bringing him up to a high. When I feel his vein start pulsing, I suck even harder, allowing him to shoot into my mouth. I take all he has to offer, sucking and licking until he's clean. Then I continue my kisses back up to his mouth.

"Babe, that was…unexpected but wonderful. It's your birthday, and you deserve the gift, not me."

"But I missed yours. I'm just happy that you are home with me."

"Let's move this party to the bedroom." Ranger picks me up and walks to my bedroom. He places me on my feet as he takes his t-shirt off my body. All that's left are my bikini panties. Those are quickly taken from my body as Ranger steps back to admire me.

"So beautiful, so perfect. _Dios_, Babe. You're even better than I remembered. Have you been working out? Your tummy seems more flat, you have muscle definition."

"Yes, Ranger, I have been. Bobby and Lester have helped."

"I'm glad you took care of me first because now I can do to you what I've been dreaming about doing to you for the last year. I won't worry about rushing because I'm too aroused. You've taken the edge off, now you're in trouble."

"Bring in on," I coax him. Just thinking about what he can do to me has me wet and ready. He climbs on top of me, covering me with his body, but keeping his weight on his forearms. He starts by kissing me, with a lot of tongue. Then, his kisses trail down my neck, to my shoulders before he settles on my breasts. He spends a good five minutes on each, kissing, sucking, nipping, and squeezing. I can't help but writhe beneath him.

"Ranger, please, I need you inside me."

"Not yet, Babe."

Ranger continues his assault on my body, kissing and sucking down my flat stomach, skipping over the promised land, and kissing down my right leg, getting that sensitive spot behind my knee. Once he's satisfied that he got every area on that leg, he switches to the left, working his way back up. By now, I'm on the brink of exploding. He reaches my core, stopping to look at me.

"So wet, so sweet. I can't wait to feast on you. I need you, Babe, always."

He licks from the bottom of my slit to the top, stopping at my clit. I feel my first orgasm explode. Once I've calmed down, Ranger places his tongue inside me, priming me for his glorious appendage. He alternates between my slit and my clit, driving me wild, to a second orgasm. Before I can ride it out, he has three fingers inside me, still assaulting the bundle of nerves. I feel myself orgasming again. I don't remember ever having this many orgasms in such a short period. Finally, he settles between my legs, lined up to enter. He swiftly impales himself inside me, thrusting slowly. He feels so glorious, and I am completely filled. I'm good at his slow pace, wanting to savor every moment of our coupling. I can't help but stare into his gorgeous brown eyes as he stares into my blue ones. We aren't in a rush, and the uniting of our bodies feels so much more than just sex, more than making love. It is as if we have become one person. As we both start to feel the climax approaching, Ranger quickens his pace, then places his hand between our bodies, pinching me to bring me over, before he allows himself to fly. Once we are both spent, he rolls onto his back, bringing me with him, our bodies still joined together.

"Happy birthday, Babe. Did you make a wish?"

"Yes, I wished that you would come home to me, alive and well. It seems my wish came true."

"Would you like to come home with me tomorrow?"

"Where, to the penthouse?"

"No, the Batcave, as you call it."

"The Batcave?"

"Yes, Babe."

"But isn't the Batcave forever?"

"It is, and I'm hoping that you would be willing to spend forever and a day with me."

"That was my wish last year."

"Babe, get some sleep. We have a busy few days ahead of us."

"Okay. I love you, Ranger."

"I love you, Stephanie."

As I dose off, I can't help but smile. Today is my best birthday, for my wish came true.

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**A/N:** I wanted to post something in celebration of Stephanie's birthday. Since I don't have another story completed, I felt a quick one-shot would do. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review. Thanks! No beta, so all mistakes are mine.


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